Colorado lawmakers are hearing renewed debate over whether to join 44 other states in requiring private investigators to maintain state licenses.

Democratic Sen. Linda Newell has sponsored a measure that would mandate background checks and skills tests for people doing business as private eyes. This is the second year in a row Newell has raised such a proposal, saying the current system attracts unscrupulous investigators.

To protect consumers, the state requires plumbers, barbers and members of other trades to carry licenses, she told fellow lawmakers in a hearing last week. But “private investigation involves surveillance, investigation into people’s private lives, database searching,” she said.“If any occupation merits licensing,” Newell asked, “shouldn’t this be one?”Private detectives on both sides of the debate, meanwhile, vigorously argued their case.Opponents said state licensure wouldn’t prevent dishonesty and fraud. Instead, they said, it would cause a hassle for private eyes who had done nothing wrong. Most of the state’s private detectives, they said, are retired law enforcement officers taking cases for small amounts of money who would close shop if required to pay license fees and pass a certification test.“This cost, the rigmarole of going through it,” said Charles Evans, a private investigator from Castle Rock, is going to cause a lot of investigators “to fall out of the workforce.”Ryan Johnston, a private investigator in Denver, supports regulation. He said it’s too easy to set up a private investigation business and access databases with sensitive information, including Social Security numbers.

An Orange County private investigator says Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest times of the year for his business.

“The week leading up to it and the day of we have all hands on deck, all staff working, all of our tracking devices are rented out,” Ali Ammar said. “It’s the most romantic day of the year, but unfortunately, it’s the most popular for cheating, too.”

Ammar said it’s popular because “if you have a significant other and you’re cheating at the same time, you’ve got to take care of that person you’re cheating with. You can’t leave them hanging without a gift. You don’t have to go to dinner, but you do have to buy something. You may even have to see them.”

Private investigator Justin Hodson agreed.

“Unfortunately, there’s infidelity in this world, it’s happening all the time. It just seems to happen more on Valentine’s Day,” he said.

After 25 years as an FBI special agent, Leo Martinez is opening a private investigation firm in Sarasota — Executive Assessment Group — that will work with criminal and civil attorneys and conduct background investigations and surveillance.

The transition will not be easy, says Tim O’Rourke, president of the Florida Association of Licensed Investigators.

First, there’s the competition. Nearly 7,800 private investigators work for 2,800 firms in Florida — at least 62 firms in just Sarasota. What’s more, Martinez will no longer have access to all the tools he used while with the U.S. government.

including domestic issues, extortion, embezzlement and other personal or business matters. The company’s full range of cutting-edge covert surveillance and remote viewing technologies give it a significant advantage in its operations and help to ensure that the alleged perpetrator in a case will be caught in the act.

“Without the best technology available, you can only have so much success as a private investigator,” said Daniel Weiss, Managing Partner at McCann Investigations. “We are committed to providing the best possible service to our clients, and a big part of that is using all of the latest technology at our disposal to find positive outcomes in every case we take on.”

An important part of any traditional private investigation and surveillance effort is the recording gear used by the investigator. McCann’s Houston private investigations team has access to hi-tech covert recording and night-time recording equipment that help to uncover wrongdoing even when lack of visibility is an issue.

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